Meet the people at the centre for the just city
Associate Professor of Spatial Planning & Strategy
I am an urban planner, an architect and a political scientist. I’m fascinated by the connections between the social and built environments.
Since the beginning of 2019, I have been the Van Eesteren Fellow at TU Delft’s Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Department of Urbanism.
Citizen empowerment
Governance
Democracy
Co-creation
CAROLINE NEWTON
I am an urban planner, architect, and political scientist. My work and research are deeply rooted in exploring the social and political dimensions of design.
I am particularly intrigued by the intricate interconnection of architecture and planning in post-colonial contexts, and I am passionate about understanding and integrating intersectionality in and for design and planning. Additionally, my research interests include participatory planning and using design approaches for knowledge production.
As an advocate for revitalised urban professional engagement, I firmly believe in bringing advocacy back to the forefront of planning and spatial practices. I pursue a critical and participatory approach to strategic planning, thinking about planning techniques as acts of resistance that unlock alternative spatial possibilities and imaginations. Through this lens, I endeavour to create avenues for more inclusive and transformative spaces.
Associate Professor of Spatial Planning & Strategy
I am a scholar committed to understanding the relationships between society and the production and governance of the built environment.
This means that I investigate how actors and institutions from the public sector, the private sector and civic society interact in planning, designing, governing and inhabiting the built environment, both formally and informally. These basic but foundational ideas explain much of my actions as an educator and researcher.
Spatial Justice
Governance of sustainability transitions
Social Sustainability
Citizen Participation
Informal UrbaniSation
ROberto rocco
I am trained as an architect and spatial planner with a Master’s in spatial planning by the University of São Paulo, a specialisation in urban management tools by the École d’Urbanisme de Paris (former Institut Français d’Urbanisme) and a PhD by TU Delft. At TU Delft, I am an Associate Professor of Spatial Planning and Strategy at the Department of Urbanism at Bouwkunde (the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment).My research focuses on governance for the built environment, with a focus on the (meta) governance of sustainability transitions. This includes issues of spatial justice and social sustainability as crucial dimensions of sustainability transitions. I have coordinated several courses and design studios over the last 20 years working at TU Delft. I have a post-doc by the University of Hertfordshire, where I studied the academicisation of design-based/ practice-based disciplines, like urban planning and design, under Professor Michael Biggs in the Research into Practice Research group (now discontinued).
More recently, together with Remon Rooij and Carola Hein, I coordinated the drafting of the Union for the Mediterranean Action Plan for Sustainable Urbanisation.
ASSISTANT Professor of Spatial Planning & Strategy
I am Dr. Juliana Gonçalves, an Assistant Professor in the section of Spatial Planning and Strategy, the Department of Urbanism, at TU Delft. I also hold the position of co-director at the Centre for Urban Science (CUSP), contribute to the Delta Urbanism Interdisciplinary Research Program, and am a participating member of the Climate Action Program at TU Delft.
Spatial Justice
Socio-technical systems
Climate Change
Adaptation
Public Participation
JULIANA GONÇALVES
My research is motivated by the multiple socio-technical transitions affecting cities, from sustainability and energy transition to climate adaptation and digitalisation. I am interested in how urban transitions impact people and communities, interacting with and often reinforcing existing inequalities, and how citizens and stakeholders engage with or react to urban transitions. Through the lenses of spatial justice, I draw from feminist theory and decolonial studies to understand socio-ecological-spatial dynamics in cities. I aim to provide conceptual and empirical insights that help build a just, pluriverse city.
I have an interdisciplinary background, possessing expertise in socio-technical systems, urban data science, and policy analysis. My research interests encompass urban inequalities and spatial justice, climate change adaptation and urban resilience, energy transition, housing and building renovation, and public participation and citizen empowerment, along with their planning and policy implications. I approach these topics from a socio-spatial intersectional perspective, frequently combining quantitative and qualitative research methods.
research fellow, Up2030.
I’m Hugo Lopez, a research fellow at TU Delft’s Department of Urbanism. I’m currently collaborating with the Spatial Planning & Strategy chair on the Horizon Europe Project UP2030. I hold a degree in Architecture & Urbanism from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), completed an exchange course at the Institute for Housing and Urban Studies in the Erasmus University Rotterdam, and earned a master’s degree in Urbanism from TU Delft. I’m also a guest researcher at the Laboratory of Urban Studies (LeU-UFRJ) and the Delta Urbanism research group at TU Delft. Lastly, alongside Prof Dr. Roberto Rocco, I edit and co-host the “Duty of Care” podcast, a platform for discussions with academics, practitioners, and students focusing on planning for a just transition considering the entanglement between spatial justice and sustainability.
SPATIAL JUSTICE
TERRITORIAL PLANNING
ENERGY LANDSCAPES
URBAN STUDIES
SUSTAINABILITY
PLANETARITY
HUGO LOPEZ
Besides that, my current motivation is to expand the traditional focus of urban studies by looking at urbanisation beyond the limits of “the city”. In this realm, I’m developing a research proposal to study the relation between spatial justice and territorial planning in Brazil from the perspective of the Atlantic Forest biome. It aims to stand at the intersection of urban design and governance, unpacking the entanglements between forestry, the Landless Worker’s Movement (MST) and energy landscapes.
AUTHOR & DOCTORAL CANDIDATE
I am an architect researching how transportation infrastructure has been used as an instrument of physical division within urban areas. I am pursuing my PhD at the TU Delft Faculty of Architecture in the Spatial Planning and Strategy section with professors Caroline Newton and Roberto Rocco. I received my Masters of Architecture from Columbia University GSAPP, and BA in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
SPATIAL JUSTICE
TRansportation
INFRASTRUCTURAL POWER
URBAN development
governance
ADAM Paul SUSANECK
My ongoing project, “Segregation by Design,” examines the question: To what extent did the United States federal government use transportation policy to segregate American cities, to what extent does the legacy of these policies continue to drive contemporary outcomes, and to what extent have these policies left a lasting impact on the American perception of society as a whole?
I have written about the project in the New York Times, analysing ongoing highway expansion projects (“Mr. Biden, Tear Down This Highway”), as well as the ongoing impacts of highways (“American Road Deaths Show an Alarming Gap”). Intending to reach as large an audience as possible for the purpose of education, encouraging advocacy, and supporting existing advocacy, I make heavy use of social media.
RESEARCHER UP2030/ ERASMUS
I hold an MSc. in Architecture and Building Engineering from the University of Naples Federico II. My professional journey has been driven by a deep passion for addressing pressing environmental and societal challenges, exploring possible ways to shape more sustainable and inclusive communities. During my collaboration with Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN). I explored the implementation of climate adaptation solutions by utilising GIS-based climate assessments.
SPATIAL JUSTICE
CLIMATE CHANGE
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS
ADAPTATION
SUSTAINABILITY
ANDRÉS DAVID MAGLIONE
Currently, I am a guest researcher at the section of Spatial Planning and Strategy of the Department of Urbanism of TU Delft, where, under the framework of Horizon Europe’s UP2030 project, I am studying the integration of Spatial Justice and Climate Change, exploring the underlying social effects of the latter in a context of already rampant social inequalities.
(gluon) researcher at urban design
I am a graduate (cum laude) of the Urbanism Masters and Honours Programme at Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) and have a professional bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of Waterloo (Canada). My research is also devoted to exploring the role of spatial design and planning in unlocking conditions toward self-determination and liberation of territories of ethnic conflict. My thesis was recently one of the recipients of the Design for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity from TU Delft. I recently co-led a master’s studio with students from the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture, exploring the agency of design in conflict and developing new typologies for living.
GLUON RESEARCH
SPATIAL JUSTICE
DESIGN IN CONFLICT
CLIMATE ADAPTATION
TRANSFORMATIVE DESIGN
Johnathan SUBENDRAN
Johnathan is a (gluon) researcher in the section of Urban Design of the Department of Urbanism at TU Delft, and at the Resilient Delta Initiative of Convergence Alliance.
At the core, he is a trained spatial designer, working across architectural to territorial scales. He is currently a Gluon researcher, a new academic role specializing in knowledge integration through the development of research on the application of integration methods and methodologies in projects, both in academia and practice.
Johnathan’s interests lie at the intersection of inter/transdisciplinary design, spatial justice, designing in conditions of conflict, climate adaptation, and building frameworks for just knowledge integration.
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR of urban design
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SPATIAL DESIGN
FEMINIST PEDAGOGY
INTERSECTIONALITY
JUSTICE-DRIVEN PRACTICE
TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION
IRENE LUQUE MARTIN
Irene Luque Martin is a spatial designer, educator, and researcher committed to radical spatial
imagination and the “otherwise” of spatial design. With over a decade of professional experience in spatial design across rapidly transitioning territories, she now focuses on research and education as catalysts for systemic change. At TU Delft, she is the initiator of a growing
body of work on designing by feminist values, using intersectional, collaborative, and justicedriven approaches to reimagine how we teach, learn, and practice spatial design. Her work challenges dominant norms and positions the university as a site of transformative and
imaginative action.
PhD Candidate urbanism
I am a doctoral researcher at the Department of Spatial Planning and Strategy at Delft University of Technology. I am fascinated by how cities can adapt to climate change through collective action. I’m particularly interested in understanding how climate adaptation can be grounded in lived experience rather than top-down planning, and how these dynamics operate within and reinforce existing structures of inequality and power.
CLIMATE ADAPTATION
SPATIAL JUSTICE
COLLECTIVE ACTION
FEMINIST THEORY
RELATIONAL THINKING
ADITI NATARAJAN
My doctoral research examines spatial production around two lakes in Bengaluru, India, investigating how daily interactions with urban water bodies generate collective restoration strategies. I’m particularly interested in understanding how these dynamics operate within and reinforce existing structures of inequality and power. I use feminist theory and spatial theory together to emphasise relationality and embodiment in the context of a changing climate. I have an interdisciplinary background in environmental sciences, sociology, and economics. I have previous working experience in water research, both in the Netherlands and India, which has been pivotal in shaping my approach to understanding the complexity of citizen-led action.
PhD Candidate Urbanism
My name is Marh Echtai, I am an urbanist, and a passionate advocate for spatial justice. My work is driven by the belief that places scarred by conflict, displacement, and climate change can be transformed into spaces of resilience, equity, and hope. I see planning not only as a technical exercise but also as a political and cultural practice that empowers communities to reclaim agency, dignity, and memory. Rooted in both lived experience and research, my vision is to bridge global challenges with local actions, advancing inclusive futures built on justice, empathy, and collective imagination.
SPATIAL JUSTICE
EPISTEMIC JUSTICE
“POST”-CONFLICT RECOVERY
INSURGENT PLANNING
RURAL SOCIO-SPATIAL DYNAMICS
MARH ECHTAI
I am a PhD researcher at TU Delft’s Department of Urbanism, working within the Horizon Europe RURALITIC project on rural revitalization and sustainable transformation. My research integrates spatial justice theory, Bourdieu’s sociology, and adaptive planning to develop new socio-relational typologies for European rural areas. Trained as an architect and spatial planner, I hold a Master’s in Urbanism from TU Delft and a Post-Master’s in Humanitarian Architecture. My award-winning thesis examined insurgent recovery and spatial equity in Syria. Beyond academia, I have been part of urban design, humanitarian, and climate adaptation projects, facilitating co-creation processes that connect insurgent knowledge, governance, and practice.
PhD Candidate urbanism
I am Nima Tabrizi, an architect and urban stroller who happens to have become an urban researcher. Seeking the vernacularity in architecture, the archetype of Qanat, as a community-driven water infrastructure, caught my attention when I was a student. This led me to pursue my studies, and later my collective research through design practice, in a more socio-ecologically oriented direction. I co-founded Atelier SigmaN and Workshop on REGENERATION in Iran, looking for contextuality and temporality within architecture and urban/rural development.
REGENERATIVE PRACTICES
SPATIAL JUSTICE
URBAN NARRATIVES
CO-CREATION
TRANSFORMATIVE DESIGN
NIMA TABRIZI
With a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Tehran and years of experiences both in academy and practice, concentrating on regenerative practices in the cities and villages of Iran, I moved to Europe to develop my knowledge in urbanism. After obtaining my Master of Advanced Studies joint degree in Urban and Territorial Design from EPFL and ETH Zurich with two territorial projects in Geneva and Zurich, I moved to the Netherlands. Following some years of managing urban storytelling workshops in the refugee camps in Leiden and Amsterdam, I started to work on a research project focusing on co-creative spatial justice at TU Delft, which is initiated and funded by ZUYD university of applied sciences and the municipality of Weert. In this project I am looking to frame a value-sensitive design which is based on participatory methods to promote spatial justice.
PhD Candidate at the Presbyterian University Mackenzie (visiting PhD at TU Delft)
My name is Ester Carro, and I am passionate about urban transformation and social impact. My work connects design, architecture, and social innovation, with a focus on decent housing, environmental regeneration, and circular solutions. I always aim to integrate community participation, female empowerment, and the promotion of the local economy to contribute to the territorial development of Brazilian favelas.
SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE
CIRCULAR DESIGN
PARTICIPATORY PROCESS
FEMALE EMPOWERMENT
SHARED GOVERNANCE
ESTER CARRO
I am an architect, urban planning master’s degree holder, and activist, recognised as one of the 50 most influential architects in Brazil by Casa VOGUE in 2024, featured on the FORBES Under 30 list (2023) in the design category, and acknowledged as one of 100 extraordinary Brazilian women by Rebel Girls, a global female empowerment brand. Since 2017, I have led the Instituto Fazendinhando, an organization that promotes territorial, socio-environmental, and cultural transformation in favelas, especially in Jardim Colombo, the community where I was born and raised. I am a undergraduate professor at Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (FAU MACK) and a PhD candidate in Architecture and Urbanism at PPGAU-FAU MACK, currently undertaking a sandwich PhD at TU Delft, Netherlands. I also contribute extensively as an architect to the Raízes Program, an initiative launched in late 2024 by the São Paulo Municipal Secretariat of Urbanism and Licensing operating within the Paraisópolis Favela Complex.
Associate partners
Professor Winston-Salem University, South Carolina, USA
Faculty Lead and Founder of the Spatial Justice Studio @ CDI, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
I am an urban scholar interested in exploring the impact of the built environment on spatial (in)justice for communities across the globe. In practice, I seek to quantitatively examine spatial conditions in cities, communities, and neighborhoods to understand what the impactful geographic attributes are limiting or enhancing spatial (in)justices.
Spatial Justice
sustainable urban development
urban studies
citizen participation
urban equity
RUSSELL SMITH
I am a Professor of Geography in the Department of History, Politics & Social Justice at Winston-Salem State University, and the Faculty Lead for the Spatial Justice Studio at the Center for Design Innovation (SJS @ CDI). I received my doctoral degree in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with an emphasis in Urban and Regional Planning. My research interests include a variety of topics related to spatial (in)justice including local government boundary change, urban form and the built environment and urban sustainability. Recently, I have published several research articles that quantitatively explore the spatial attributes of communities to better understand how spatial (in)justice manifests itself through the built environment.
I have authored numerous research publications, contracted reports, and presentations. In 2018, I published a book titled, Municipal Incorporation Activity in the United States: Patterns, People and Procedures, which highlighted my decade long investigation into new municipalities in the United States. I have also been the recipient of the Cedric S. Rodney Distinguished Service Award, the Bill Sheppard Master Teacher Award, and the Wilveria B. Atkinson Distinguished Research Award. In 2019, I was selected as a Fulbright Specialist for my expertise and experience in urban planning. Prior to joining Winston-Salem State University, I was an AICP certified urban planner for a variety of local governments and specialized in land use planning and urban redevelopment.
Centre for the Just City
Planning & Design for Fair, Inclusive Cities, Regions and Communities